Upper Svaneti, Georgia - A UNESCO World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site postcard from Georgia for my UNESCO Collection - Upper Svaneti.
Preserved by its long isolation, the Upper Svaneti region of the Caucasus is an exceptional example of mountain scenery with medieval-type villages and tower-houses. The village of Chazhashi still has more than 200 of these very unusual houses, which were used both as dwellings and as defence posts against the invaders who plagued the region.

The property occupies the upper reaches of the lnguri River Basin between the Caucasus and Svaneti ranges. It consists of several small villages forming a community that are dominated by the towers and situated on the mountain slopes, with a natural environment of gorges and alpine valleys and a backdrop of snow-covered mountains. The most notable feature of the settlements is the abundance of towers.

The beautiful stamp used on the back of the postcard was part of the set "Cultural Heritage of Georgia". The complete set was issued in a souvenir sheet of 4 stamps. The stamp shows "Golden Necklace, II-III Century AD". The stamp is of 2.0 Georgian Lari (GEL).
The postcard has been postmarked from Telavi, Georgia.

Cameroun Postcard - A Rare Card to have in collection

Republic of Cameroun is one of the rare countries in the postcard world. I received this beauty posted directly from Yaounde - the Capital City of Cameroun.
Cameroun is a country in Central Africa - bordered by Nigeria, Chad, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Republic of Congo.

The postcard shows "Young Dancers" in a festival in Bamenda - a city in North-Western Cameroun. Thanks to a nice friend J. D. Juneja, who was living in Republic of Congo and posted this postcard during his trip to Cameroun.

Although no postage stamp was used while sending the postcard, however the beautiful and clear postmarks on the back of the postcard compensated for that. Probably a postage fee of 200 Central African Francs (FCFA) was used to send the card. The rectangular red postmarks by CAMPOST were used while posting on 5 August 2016 at the Yaounde Post Office.

The round black stamp with date in red colour was used on 8 August 2016, while departing from Cameroun.

Only a true postcard collector can understand the value and rarity of this postcard ;-) Isn't it?

Northern Cyprus Postcard with an awesome EURO 2016 Stamp

Northern Cyprus is one of the harder countries to find in the world of postcards.
Northern Cyprus is the Turkish part of the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, divided between Turkey and Greece since the late–20th century. The beautiful island is famous for it's serene beaches, majestic Byzantine castles and ancient ruins. The capital city, Nicosia (Lefkoşa), has an old town enclosed by Venetian walls. Its Gothic Selimiye Mosque was once a cathedral, and Buyuk Han is a 16th-century Ottoman caravanserai (inn) turned arts center.

The photo featured on the postcard shows a view of  Kyrenia Harbour. Kyrenia Harbour is a small harbour but a charming, fascinating place, to find the calm ambience, soothing atmosphere, beautiful views and stunning surroundings. The harbour is filled with yachts and boats, and the landscape is somewhat dominated by the fascinating Kyrenia Castle.

The stamp used on the postcard was a part of a set of 2 stamps issued on the occasion of EURO 2016 Football Cup. EURO 2016 was held in France from 10 June - 10 July 2016 and Portugal won the tournament.

Uganda - Murchinson Falls

Another one of the postcards posted last year by me to my dad, while I was travelling through Uganda. Murchinson Falls is number 3 on the list of top 10 scenic places of Uganda.
I bought this postcard from a shopping mall in Kampala along with many others.

Murchinson Falls National Park is about 300 kms NW of Kampala. Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda's largest national park. It measures approximately 3,840 square kilometres (1,480 sq mi). Together with the adjacent Bugungu Wildlife Reserve and the Karuma Wildlife Reserve, the park is part of the 5,308 square kilometres (2,049 sq mi) Murchison Falls Conservation Area (MFCA).
In Murchison there are four of the "Big Five". Cape buffalo, elephants, lions, leopard are best to be seen in the northern part (above the Nile). Due to excessive hunting and poaching, rhinos became extinct by 1983, but were re-introduced into Uganda in 2005 by Rhino Fund Uganda. White rhinoceros are now being bred again in the 7,000 hectares (27 sq mi) Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which is located 70 kilometres (43 mi), south of the park. Their mission is to reintroduce small herds of rhinos (around five at a time), whilst retaining a nucleus breeding herd in the sanctuary. MFCA and adjacent Bugondo Forest reserve contain 76 Species of mammals as well as Uganda's largest population of Nile crocodile.
You can see the official website of the park here.

The stamp used was issued in honour of Ugandan athlete Stephen Kiprotich, who won a Gold Medal at Men's Marathon in London 2012 Olympic Games.

Switzerland - Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Having received a previous postcard of Disney's Princess Snow White from Russia before, today I am sharing another postcard of Snow White posted from Switzerland by Alexia. This beautiful postcard was sent as an official Postcrossing postcard and was a lovely surprise. My kids really loved the princess and the cute dwarfs.

The postcard was sent using a stamp showing a bird - Red Kite (Milvus milvus). It is one of the stamps from a set of two stamps issued by Helvetia in 2009.

Thanks a lot Alexie for this hand-picked postcard.

Abu Dhabi - Sheikh Zayed Mosque - One of the largest Mosques in the World

WoW! What an elegant and grandeur mosque it is! I bought this postcard during my trip to Dubai and wrote it for posting to my kids. I even bought the stamps and pasted them on the postcard but due to a small change in my flight plan, I could not post it and brought it to my kids in my back pack!
Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi is the 3rd largest mosque in the World

The construction of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was started by the late president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who wanted to establish a structure which unites the cultural diversity of Islamic world, the historical and modern values of architecture and art. His final resting place is located on the grounds beside the same mosque. 

The mosque was constructed from 1996 to 2007. It is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates. The building complex measures approximately 290 m (960 ft) by 420 m (1,380 ft), covering an area of more than 12 hectares (30 acres), exclusive of exterior landscaping and vehicle parking.

As the country's grand mosque, it is the key place of worship for Friday gathering and Eid prayers. During Eid it can be visited by more than 40,000 people.

I bought the above stamps from a post office close to Meena Bazaar in Dubai. The stamps were issued on the occasion of 40th Anniversary of the Constitution of the Union Supreme Court in 2014. Each stamp costed 1AED (Emirati Dirham). The complete set consisted of 4 stamps - in green, white, black and red colours.

DR Congo: A Real-Posted Postcard from Democratic Republic of Congo - A Jewel in My Collection

Finally I managed to take a short trip to Kinshasa - the Capital city of Democratic Republic of Congo. Dozens of friends had requested me to send a postcard or a cover from DR Congo but I could not send many because of very expensive postcards and enormously costly postage. In fact I could manage to send only two postcard - one to myself and the other one to a friend in Caribbean.

I bought this beautiful postcard from a book shop near 30th June Avenue or Independence Avenue. The postcard costed me US$5 each. The back of the postcard reads "Bonobos,  espèce endemique de RD Congo protégé par la loi" in French language meaning "Bonobos, DR Congo endemic species protected by law". The bonobos are found in a 500,000 km2 (190,000 sq mi) area of the Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa.

The experience in the Post Office was even more strange. The lady at the counter in General Post office in Kinshasa told me that postage for each postcard is US$5 but she didn't have stamps for the same value. Language barrier was pretty difficult to cope with as the lady spoke French only and not a word of English. The only stamps that she had were the two pasted on the postcard. The posted stamps are of 245 Congolese Francs only which turns out to be around US$0.25, so I had to pay US$5.25 for the postage.
After receiving the postcard, I did try to find a postmark or some sign of US$5 that I paid to her but could not find any sign. Any how, it is really a precious jewel to find a real-posted postcard from DR Congo.
I do have some other UNESCO postcards from DR Congo that I brought from there. I shall be posting their scans on the blog in coming days. If you are interested in getting any of them, you can leave a message below with your facebook ID or email contact.
Have fun ..... Happy Collecting!

Taiwan: Taipei 101 - 5th Largest Building in the World

Ni Hao!
This beautiful postcard shows the Capital City of Taiwan, Taipei. It is located in Northern Taiwan.
The tower building shown on the postcard is "Taipei 101".

The back of the card said that Taipei 101 is the 2nd largest building in the World, but a little research through Google Guru told that currently (in July 2014) Taipei 101 is the 5th tallest building on the planet after Burj Khalifa, Shanghai Tower, Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel and One World Trade Center. Height of the Taipei 101 is 1667 feet.
Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground. The building was architecturally created as a symbol of the evolution of technology and Asian tradition. Its post-modernist approach to style incorporates traditional design elements and gives them modern treatments. The tower is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. A multi-level shopping mall adjoining the tower houses hundreds of stores, restaurants and clubs.

2 x Beautiful stamps are attached at the back of the postcard by Neho. One of the stamp shows a mushroom named Amanita Rubrovolvata, while the second shows a stag.
Thank you Neho for such a beautiful postcard.
BTW it was an official Postcrossing Postcard.

Origami Planes and White Marble Horse from France

I received this postcard from France and have absolutely no clue about the place.

The postcard was sent by Didier Roux from France.

Two pretty amazing stamps were used on the postcard.

• The top one is a machine stamp showing 3 different paper planes made by Origami. It is an airmail stamp from France (circa 2002). In France, stamp machines (machine which delivers computer stamps) deliver a small bill (size of a stamp) with a origami plane.
• The second stamp shows a beautiful white horse. It is one of the Horses 12v s-a in Booklet. There are two writings on the stamp. After a little research, they are as: "Lettre Verte" meaning "Green Letter" and the second writing says, "Le Boulonnais" meaning "The Boulonnais", which is a breed of horse, also known as "White Marble Horse", and just by the first look at the horse, it is definitely a white marble horse.

Does anyone reading this knows which place is shown on the postcard???

Yakovlev Yak-3 Aircraft from Russian Federation

The amazing postcard from Russian Federation shows a flying Yakovlev Yak-3 Aircraft used by Soviet Air Force in World War II.

Yakovlev Yak-3 (Russian language: Яковлев Як-3) was a World War II Soviet fighter aircraft. Due to it's robustness and easiness to maintain, it was much liked by pilots and ground crew alike. It was one of the smallest and lightest major combat fighters fielded by any combatant during the war, and its high power-to-weight ratio gave it excellent performance. It proved a formidable dog-fighter. Many pilots considered it a superior aircraft to the P-51D Mustang and the Supermarine Spitfire. After the war ended, it flew with the Yugoslav and Polish Air Forces.

Top speed: 655 km/h

Length: 8.50 m

Wingspan: 9.19 m

First flight: 1943

Introduced: 1944

Retired: 1945

The postcard was sent by Victoria from Siberian city Tyumen as an official Postcrossing postcard bearing the ID: RU-1064906 (BTW, she has uploaded a similar but different postcard on the Official Site ;-) )
Four stamps have been used on the postcard along with a puppy sticker for my kids.

• The stamp on the top-right features another beautiful aircraft - Petlyakov Pe-2. It was a Soviet dive bomber aircraft used during World War II. It was regarded as one of the best ground attack aircraft of the war and it was extremely successful in the roles of heavy fighter, reconnaissance and night fighter. The stamp is a part of Aviation 4v set issued in 2011.
• The two stamps at the bottom show a polar bear and it's baby & a horse with it's offspring. These two stamps are part of a beautiful 5 stamp set Wild Life 5v, issued in 2006.
• The stamp on the top-left side shows a wild rabbit and it was issued as a part of a set of 15 definitive animal stamps in 2008.

Thanks a lot Victoria for a lovely postcard and such amazing stamps!

Snow White from Russia with lovely animals stamps

Snow White has always been one of my favourite Disney Princesses. Receiving this official Postcrossing postcard really made my day brighter and shinier.

I received this lovely postcard from Natalia in Russia.

The postcard also featured an official Disney Logo at the back side.

Two different stamps were used to post the card, which were a part of a series of 15 stamps issued as a Definitive Series in 2008. You can see the complete series of these definitive animal stamps from Russia here.

Netherlands: Smoking Air Show Postcard with an Environment Friendly Stamp

Another lovely official Postcrossing postcard is coming your way today!

This colourful postcard showing the view of an Airplane Show was sent to me by josephine in 2012. Somehow I love flying aircrafts and this one is pretty amazing.

The stamp used on the postcard was issued in 2011 by Nederland Postal services as a part of Environment Series. The phrase written on the stamp, inside a green tree seems to say "denk groen voor een groene wereld" or something like that. Google Search suggests that it is a Dutch phrase for "Think Green for a Green World". 

I hope a native Dutch reader could improve our exploration.

I wonder what good are these flying/ Smoking aircrafts doing to make the World greener. The stamps and the postcard seem to be an interesting combination. 

What do you say?

Slovenia: Beautiful Castle in Ljubljana

Hi Pals!

It is always lovely to receive an official postcrossing postcard from a unique country like Slovenia. This lovely postcard was sent to me by Leonardo from the official Postcrossing website. 

He wrote, 

"I live in a very small and very beautiful country. There's only Two Millions living in Slovenia and we like to think that quality is more important than quantity. Card is showing the old core of our capital, with 900 years old castle in the center."

It was really interesting to read Leonardo's thoughts, however I wondered what my Chinese friends would think about the phrase "Quality is more important than quantity!"
Well! It was just a random thought that brought a smile. :)

The castle in Ljubljana is really a beautiful one and so are the red-roofed buildings near it.

The stamps shows a fruit and a leaf and says "Zizola - Ziziphus Jujuba" which is a fruit called as "Red Date". The photo is probably taken by the photographer named "Irena Gubanc". 

Please correct me if I am wrong!

Have a nice day!

P is for Pakistan Postcards

As a matter of fact, most of you must be knowing that this blog is dedicated to my postcards collection and taking part in ABC Wednesday is really fun especially when I came across the latest post, it was evident that today's post is dedicated to Postcards of my beloved PAKISTAN.
In this post, I shall share 3 of my favorite postcards with you, so that you can enjoy a glimpse of my beautiful Pakistan. To know more about these places, you can either click on the photo or visit the link at the bottom of the post.

K-2 is Pakistan's Highest Mountain and the World's 2nd Highest Mountain after the majestic Mount Everest. Standing tall at 8,611 meters, K-2 is a mighty mountain which is much more difficult to climb than its elder brother, Mount Everest.
As per Wikipedia: "K2 is known as the Savage Mountain due to the difficulty of ascent and the second-highest fatality rate among the eight thousanders. For every four people who have reached the summit, one has died trying. It is more hazardous to reach K2 from the Chinese side; thus, it is mostly climbed from the Pakistani side. Unlike Annapurna, the mountain with the highest fatality-to-summit rate, K2 has never been climbed in winter."

Lahore Fort - One of Pakistan's marvellous pieces of architecture and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Danger.
You can read more at one of my previous posts here: Lahore Fort or at Wikipedia here: Lahore Fort at Wikipedia

Takht Bhai (or Takht Bahi) is a Buddhist monastic complex dating to the 1st century BCE. The complex is regarded by archaeologists as being particularly representative of the architecture of Buddhist monastic centers from its era. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.
You can read more about these fascinating ruins at Ruins of Buddhist Monastery at Takht-e-Bahi, Swat Valley  in another post at my UNESCO blog.
Having said that its your turn to share your opinion in the comments section below. I would love to hear your thoughts about this post!!!

Slovenian Map Postcard - Slovenia at a Glance

A beautiful postcard from Slovenia depicting the Slovenian Country Map along with different multi-views of buildings and landscapes from the beautiful European country.

This marvellous postcard was sent inside an envelope by Karmen.
This postcard is uploaded specifically for Postcard Friendship Friday!!

Phi Phi Islands, Thailand - A Paradise in South-East Asia

Phi Phi Island is undoubtedly Thailand's island-superstar. It's been in the movies. It's the topic of conversation for travellers all over Thailand.
For some, it's the only reason to touchdown in Phuket. Even with all the hype, it doesn't disappoint. Phi Phi's beauty is a large chunk of the allure. The islands, when approached by boat, rise from the sea like a fortress. Sheer cliffs tower overhead, then give way to beach-fronted jungle. It's love at first sight. The second part of the why-we-love-this-place story is attitude: few places on the planet are this laid-back. Of the two islands, one is completely free of human inhabitants (Phi Phi Leh), and the other is without roads (Phi Phi Don). There's no schedule, no hustle-and-bustle, no reason to be in a hurry.

Near Phi Phi, one beach stands above the rest: Phi Phi Ley. The island was the backdrop for Leonardo DiCaprio's "The Beach" and is one of the most beautiful and majestic places you will ever lay your eyes on.   Much of the movie was filmed in Maya Bay, a main location for Phi Phi daytrips and longtail hires from nearby Phi Phi Don Village. Also, the main ferry from Phuket passes this spot from afar to give you a short glimpse.
James Bond Island is also not far away from Phi Phi Island which is famous for filming of the James Bond movie - The Man with the Golden Gun.
This magnificent postcard was brought to me by my dear colleague and younger brother Wasif from his trip to Thailand. Thanks a lot dude :)
Please feel free to leave your comments below!

A Winter Postcard from St. Petersburg in Russia

Recently I received a beautiful postcard from Russia showing a winter scene and a Parland Railing of the "The Church of the Resurrection of the Christ"

St. Petersburg is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites from Russia and you can read my detailed post at my UNESCO Postcards Blog here.
Two beautiful stamps showing a castle and a boat have been used by the sender - Katya.

Katya has also written "Happy Postcrossing" in a lovely way, accompanied by a Smiley.

 Thanks a lot Katya for this amazingly beautiful postcard and Happy Postcrossing.
If you have any question/ observation/ suggestion, please leave a comment below.

Kids of Hunza - A Postcard from North of Pakistan

Sharing a postcard after such a long time made me think that which postcard should I choose to share with my followers and friends. Finally I picked up this beautiful postcard as it is one of the most-favorite postcard on my Postcrossing profile by friends.
This cute postcard comes from the Northern part of Pakistan, Gilgit Baltistan which is a beautiful place covered with mountains and valleys.

Hunza (Burushaski: ہنزہ, Urdu: ہنزہ‎) is a mountainous valley in the Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan. The Hunza is situated north/west of the Hunza River, at an elevation of around 2,500 metres (8,200 ft). The territory of Hunza is about 7,900 square kilometres (3,100 sq mi). Aliabad is the main town, while Karimabad is a popular tourist destination because of the spectacular scenery of the surrounding mountains like Ultar Sar, Rakaposhi, Bojahagur Duanasir II, Ghenta Peak, Hunza Peak, Passu Peak, Diran Peak and Bublimotin (Ladyfinger Peak), all 6,000 metres (19,685 ft) or higher.

A 'Lost' Zebra in Kenya

Zebra is one of my favourite animals. It is everything from being cute, innocent and cuddly to being an amazing sight in the wild.
This beautiful postcard shows a 'lost' zebra in the wilderness of Kenya. Kenya probably has the largest population of zebras in the world.

Amazing Fact: Like human finger-prints, no two zebras have the same pattern of  stripes on their skin and these stripes can be used as their biometric identification too.

Liberia: Bat Snoozing in Sapo National Park, Sinoe County

Another beautiful postcard from Liberia showing a tired bat snoozing in Sapo National Park (As mentioned on the back of the postcard). It is an official postcard issued by Liberia Ministry of Posts & Telecommunications (Also mentioned at the back).

Sapo National Park is a national park in Sinoe County, Liberia. It is the country's largest protected area of rain-forest and its only national park, and contains the second-largest area of primary tropical rain-forest in West Africa after Taï National Park in neighbouring Côte d'Ivoire. Agriculture, construction, fishing, hunting, human settlement, and logging are prohibited in the park.
Sapo National Park is located in the Upper Guinean forest ecosystem, a biodiversity hotspot that has "the highest mammal species diversity of any region in the world", according to Conservation International.
The postcard was brought for me by one of my sweet brothers Adeel, during his stay in Liberia, as a part of UN Peace Keeping Mission.
What do you think about this lovely postcard?